Nuance has introduced a brand-new voice interface for smartphones that it's calling Nina -- you can see it in action in a video just posted online. Nina is a mobile OS interface that's open to third-party developers, so it's essentially a Siri that any app developer (willing to read through the documentation and implement the API) can use in their own apps. And it comes with an extra feature: in addition to simply understanding commands and feeding back information, Nina can also use your voice as a passcode, double-checking who you are just from your vocal tones.

Nina is an open API, according to Nuance. Developers interested in implementing it can find out more via Nuance's website. Hopefully we consumers will start seeing more of these technologies showing up in apps soon.